Outsourced

Posted: Fri 5 May, 2006 | Author: | Filed under: Own Business, Weirdness, Work-related | Leave a comment »

In yet another awesome business decision, Arsehole Boss has sent the work I’ve been doing over the last year to a bunch of Outsourcers in India/Bangladesh/Pakistan, while I continue working on other “more important” sectors of the companys multiple websites.

Supposedly this is a cheaper alternative, and will allow the stuff to make progress even while I’m involved elsewhere. Unfortunately, this concept is utter bollocks.

The thing is, it’s not even the first time AB has done this, it’s the third. And the previous two have been unmitigated disasters. So far, it looks like Attempt #3 is going to be no different. So far they’ve come back to us asking me to explain the use of a function that is standard in PHP, and has been for years, and also how to sort out some of the database structures. Again, nothing difficult – we supplied them with a script for setting up the database, only they didn’t know how to run that script to install everything.

So far, from the skillset displayed, it looks like the outsourcing process can yet again be defined as “If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys”.

Outsourced – part 2

Posted: Fri 5 May, 2006 | Author: | Filed under: Weirdness, Work-related | 1 Comment »

On the subject of outsourcing etc., if you were to hire a company to maintain / sort out a website, would you chose…

a) A company whose website looked smooth, slick, didn’t have errors, and provided a professional image of themselves

or

b) A company whose website contains umpteen javascript errors, and whose main page just says “Under Construction”, with the contact details for the company. No “our clients”, no demos, no screenshots.

No prizes for guessing which lot AB went for…

Observer

Posted: Mon 1 May, 2006 | Author: | Filed under: Customer Services, Weirdness | 2 Comments »

I don’t know what it is about this town, but sometimes finding a Saturday Guardian, or an Observer on Sunday is a total nightmare.

Yesterday was a case in point – OK, we didn’t go out ’til about 1, so that was part of the issue, but when I looked for a paper, I couldn’t find one at all.

The Esso garage was sold out, the BP garage only had ones with no supplements. It’s no wonder those hadn’t sold. Tescos had sold out – but only of Observers – in both the shop and the seperate garage section. They always sell out early, but never order more for next week. No idea why.

The other Esso and BP garages had sold out too. In the end, I picked up the last copy in – wait for it – Marks and Spencers. Because, like, that’s where everyone looks for a paper. *sigh*

I just don’t understand why, if the Observer is such a popular paper (and it’s worth pointing out that most places still had plenty of all the other papers, it’s just that I like the Observer) then why don’t all the shops order more of the sodding things?

Oh, and before anyone asks, we don’t get it delivered because a) the local newsagents has closed, with no sign of anything replacing it, and b) because even when it was open he wouldn’t do a delivery for just one day a week. Which probably goes some way to explaining why it’s now closed…

Price reductions

Posted: Fri 28 April, 2006 | Author: | Filed under: Customer Services, Thoughts, Weirdness | Leave a comment »

Since getting the XDA phone, apparently I’ve had an O2 offer of “free internet”. Would’ve been nice to know about it, but there we go – that’s life.

Anyway, half an hour ago I got a message saying

We hope you enjoyed the O2 Active free promo. Charging begins from 01 June 2006, but remember it’s only £3 per Mb. For money-saving Bolt Ons, see o2.co.uk.

Then just now I got one saying

We hope you enjoyed the O2 Active free promo. Charging begins from 01 June 2006, but remember it’s only £2.25 per Mb. For money-saving Bolt Ons, see o2.co.uk.

That’s quite a price reduction for half an hour, isn’t it?

420

Posted: Fri 21 April, 2006 | Author: | Filed under: Thoughts, Weirdness | Leave a comment »

The number of the beast is no longer 666 – It’s now 420.

Brilliant stuff.

Cruising

Posted: Tue 18 April, 2006 | Author: | Filed under: Weirdness | 4 Comments »

Nutter.

I’m sure I could be more charitable, but no, “Nutter” seems to sum it up.

Bluetooth Headsets

Posted: Sat 15 April, 2006 | Author: | Filed under: Geeky, Thoughts, Weirdness | 3 Comments »

What is it that makes people (Mainly men) think they look cool by wandering around with a bluetooth headset/hands-free kit hanging off their ears? I’m not against the devices in the right place (i.e. when driving) but the number of people you see walking around with a bluetooth earpiece is amazing.

I just don’t see the point of them. If you’re wandering around, you’re obviously able to answer the phone properly rather than use the earpiece. (and, by the way, look like an utter twunt while walking around talking ‘to yourself’) Maybe people think they look all cool and techie by using them, or maybe it fuels the fantasies of being James Bond / Captain Kirk / whoever else used a fucking headset. I don’t know. And it does seem to be primarily BMW drivers who use them all the time like that.

What I do know, though, is that to me, people wandering around wearing them just look like dickheads.

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